


Best in the patch

by argentumlupine



Series: Fall ficlets 2012 [3]
Category: Bandom, My Chemical Romance
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Podfic Available
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-26
Updated: 2012-11-26
Packaged: 2017-11-19 15:33:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/574845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/argentumlupine/pseuds/argentumlupine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pumpkin farmer Frank meets master pumpkin carver Gerard. Fluff and nonsense. :)?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Best in the patch

**Author's Note:**

  * For [akamine_chan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/akamine_chan/gifts).



> This is long overdue, Aka. I was holding out until I finished the 4th fic, but I don't think it's going to happen. /o\
> 
> Thanks to [Andeincascade](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Ande/pseuds/Andeincascade) and [RubyTuesday5681](http://archiveofourown.org/users/RubyTuesday5681) for looking this over. ♥

“Did you hear?” Ray asks as he helps Frank put the last of the pumpkins on the display tables. Frank wipes sweat off his forehead before he starts putting out price stickers.

“Hear what?” he asks absently, adjusting the SALE marker.

“Gerard Way’s been through this morning. May still be here.”

Frank has to think for a moment until he can place the name. “The pumpkin carver?” There had been an article in the paper about the guy last week. Apparently he’d been on some Food Network show and is getting all the attention for his _unusual_ carving choices.

“Yes, the pumpkin carver.” Ray shakes his head. “He stopped at your stall and looked disappointed no one was here. Muttered something about needing more pumpkins. I think he bought everything Andy had.”

Frank shrugs. “If he comes back, he can buy all my jack-o-lantern pumpkins. I hope he’s got the sense not to try carving pie pumpkins.”

“I do,” a voice says from behind him, and Frank whirls around. “Gerard Way,” the guy says, holding out a hand. 

Frank shakes it. “Nice to meet you,” he says. “Um, what exactly are you...”

But Gerard isn’t paying attention to him anymore. He’s crouched down in front of some of the pumpkins, tilting one of them back and forth and spinning it around, then setting it behind him with a nod before he moves onto the next. When Frank raises a questioning eyebrow at Ray, Ray just shrugs, waves, and moves back to his own stall.

“Are you looking for anything in particular?” Frank asks. He’s used to customers asking questions, or at least making small talk. But this guy just hmms at him and keeps looking through the pumpkins, pushing some far to the right and putting some behind him. Frank can’t figure out his sorting scheme and is grateful to have an excuse to walk away when one of his regulars shows up.

He ignores Gerard for the next half hour while he helps other customers. 

“That one’s mine, sweetie,” he hears. “How about this one?”

When Frank looks, Gerard is kneeling in front of a young girl, one hand pointing to a pumpkin in his “reject” section and the other resting on one of “his” pumpkins. 

“But I want _this_ one,” she whines, stamping her foot. “Mine!”

Gerard glances at Frank, making some kind of face that Frank can’t even begin to interpret. He shrugs back. Gerard continues making faces at him. At a loss, Frank says, “Hey, you want to take home a pumpkin for pie?”

While the girl is distracted, Gerard swaps the pumpkins, then winks at Frank. The girl shakes her head and points.

“Mine!”

Gerard sighs. “All right,” he says. “You win.”

The girl calls for her mom as she rolls the pumpkin away. 

“Thanks for the help,” Gerard says, smiling brightly. Frank has to look away. Smiles like that should be illegal. _Faces_ like that should be illegal, shit. 

“I had no idea what you were trying to get me to do.” Frank fiddles with his cash box.

“You figured it out, though.”

Frank jumps and turns to find that Gerard is standing really close to him. Frank edges back. “Yeah.” He clears his throat. “What’s so special about that pumpkin, anyway?”

Gerard shrugs. “I’m not sure. But it looks right, you know?”

Frank lifts an eyebrow. 

Gerard shifts on his feet. “I can’t explain it. It’s just _right_ for one of the pieces I’m planning for the corn maze.”

“Right.” Frank really has no idea what to say. He stands there, leaning slightly away from Gerard, until Gerard steps backward. 

“How much for all of these?” Gerard asks, gesturing to his grouping. It’s a little over half of what Frank had brought with him. “And do you deliver?” Gerard chews on his lip. “I’ll pay extra if you do, but I need them by this afternoon.”

Frank’s never been asked about delivery before. “Uh, sure.”

Gerard beams. “Thank you.” He hands over a business card. “My address is on there. Now, how much?”

Frank takes the business card carefully and goes to tally up Gerard’s purchase.

 

\--

 

For some reason, Frank had expected Gerard’s house to be giant and sprawling, but it’s a two-bedroom house in a normal-looking neighborhood. He checks the address anyway, but yeah, he’s in the right place. He backs into the driveway and is climbing out of the truck when Gerard opens the front door. 

“Oh, good, you found it!” Gerard says, and comes out to help unload.

“Where do you want them?” Frank asks. 

“Back porch,” Gerard says, and leads the way around the house. “Just put them anywhere there’s space. I’ll figure it out later.”

Frank cringes at the mayhem on the porch. Just give him half an hour and he could--but this isn’t his house. He sets down the pumpkin. “Do you have a wagon or a wheelbarrow?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah. Somewhere.” Gerard looks around. “I know I have a wagon, I use it all the time... Oh, it’s over there.” He points to what Frank had thought was a large mound of pumpkins. He sees, now that he looks again, that there’s a wagon buried underneath.

While Gerard wanders back around the house, Frank goes to unearth the wagon, which has been painted orange and black. Frank moves all the pumpkins off the wagon, then carries it to the ground and hauls it around to his truck. Gerard is nowhere to be seen. Frank shakes his head and starts loading up the wagon.

He finishes moving all the pumpkins and still there’s no sign of Gerard. Frank sighs. Good thing he got his money already. He gives the house a last look, then drives off.

 

\--

 

Frank feels like he is very slowly going mad. It’s all Gerard’s fault. Gerard with that face and that smile and that talent. He’s been in the newspaper three times in the last few weeks, beaming at the camera in one article, looking focused as he works on a carving in another, standing with his hip cocked as he talks to a kid at the corn maze in the third. 

He’s been in Frank’s thoughts a lot more than that. Which is _stupid_ , Frank thinks, because they only talked for what, five minutes all together? Stupid. 

Frank pushes Gerard from his mind and loads the last of his pie pumpkins into his truck. Last farmer’s market of the season. He’d considered skipping, since he’s not feeling well, but he’s still got a good number of pumpkins to sell and it’s close to Thanksgiving, so he’s going to suck it up and go.

But he brings two thermoses of tea with him and wears two jackets, a thermal, and a hoodie. 

He goes back inside to get his stadium blanket.

And then his other gloves.

And then a bag of cough drops.

Ray helps him unload again, looking worried when Frank sits down immediately after they’re done. “Are you sick again?” Ray asks.

Frank glares. “I’ll be fine.”

“I can man your stall if you want to stay in your truck where it’s warm,” Ray offers.

Frank shakes his head. “Thanks. I’m fine.”

Ray gives him a skeptical look, then heads for his own stall. 

At least being at the market is worth it. Frank sells all of his pie pumpkins by mid-morning. He waves to Ray and leans into the truck to tuck his cash box under the passenger seat. When he stands up and turns around, Gerard is _right there_. 

“Don’t _do_ that, Jesus,” Frank says, clutching at his chest. 

“Sorry,” Gerard says, though he doesn’t look sorry and he doesn’t step back, just keeps _looking_ at him.

Frank waits patiently, but Gerard doesn’t say anything else. “I’m out of pumpkins,” Frank says.

“Hm? Oh, yeah, I figured,” Gerard says. 

“So...?” Frank asks. Gerard is still just staring at him in a way that gives Frank hope while also making him really uncomfortable. Doesn’t the guy blink?

“Oh, the hell with it,” Gerard says out of nowhere, and kisses him.

Frank allows himself to enjoy it only for a moment before he plants both hands on Gerard’s chest to push him back. “Not that I don’t like kissing, or you, or kissing you,” he says quickly, “but I am probably contagious.”

Gerard grins nervously. “Oh, oops.”

They stand there for a minute. Frank raises an eyebrow.

“I’m so sorry I just disappeared when you delivered the pumpkins,” Gerard says. “I... sometimes I just have to paint, and, well...” He reaches into the bag sitting on his feet to pull out a sheet of paper. “Here.”

Frank looks down to see his own face, a smudge of dirt across his forehead, clearly in the middle of saying something. He blinks and looks up at Gerard, who’s smiling a little uncertainly. “It’s great.”

“I had to draw, right then, so I didn’t lose it. And then I heard your truck pull away and realized I’d been rude.” Gerard hunches his shoulders. “So, sorry. Can we start over? I was going to offer you coffee. Do you like coffee?” Gerard looks up and away from Frank, clearly thinking aloud now. “Or, I might have tea. Do I have tea?” He looks back at Frank, his eyes focusing again. “I can buy tea, if you want.”

“Are you inviting me over?” Frank asks. He’s not sure he’s following.

Gerard grins and damn it, there’s that smile again, the one Frank’s been dreaming about all month. “Yes! Please? I promise I won’t disappear this time.” He gives Frank an earnest look. “I really am sorry about that, I said that, right?”

“Yeah, you did.”

“So you’ll come over?”

Frank takes a moment to just look at Gerard, then smiles back. “Yeah, okay.”

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] Best in the Patch](https://archiveofourown.org/works/761616) by [Readbyanalise010](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Readbyanalise010/pseuds/Readbyanalise010)




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